The Magic Fish
Trung Le Nguyen
Oct 13, 2020
ISBN 9780593125298
Trung Le Nguyen’s debut graphic novel is a satisfyingly complex entry into the YA graphic novel space. The story follows Tiên and his mother, Hiên, as they bond over books while the son holds a secret and the mother processes her departure from Vietnam and subsequent years in the United States. The other characters in their world are few, a loving but silent father and Tiên’s middle school friends. The more vivid half of the ensemble are the princesses, mermaids, and magical creatures of the fairytales they read together, a tradition started to improve their English. These tales frame the story of Tiên and Hiên, on separate but connected journeys of identity. For Hiên particularly, the books her son reads her trigger painful memories of Vietnam and prolonged separation from her own mother.
The pages are visually dense. Different colors denote a variety of time periods and realities. They come together in emotional moments like a pivotal phone call. While the colors are contemporary pastel washes, with minimalist faces and barely-there backgrounds, the line work is bold. Nguyen flaunts his skill with detailed close-ups, like a patchwork jacket that symbolizes the “make-it-work” lifestyle of an immigrant family. The distinctive rendering of the hair in the fairytale panels is reminiscent of manga and anime from the 70’s.
In the afterword, the author explains that this book is a response to the fairytale quality of immigration narratives, The Magic Fish leans into this premise by telling more complex folktales, heavy with metaphor. While this could be a lugubrious plot device, Nguyen does not draw many direct comparisons. The young mermaid is exiled by choice, but Hiên fled Vietnam under threat. The magical merchant’s child is gender fluid–is Tiên non-binary as well? When Tiên’s secret creates a confrontation, Nguyen pulls the screen over the event, as if to create sacredness in a traumatic event. This ambiguity elevates The Magic Fish and provides the family mystery and dimension, the opposite of flat. For a book that takes its time and occasionally doubles back, the end is abrupt, leaving the reader wishing for just a few more panels.
Falling somewhere between The Prince and the Dressmaker and the more mature themes in the work of Tillie Walden (who blurbs the book). The Magic Fish is a beautifully illustrated queer coming-of-age story, a welcome addition to any library shelf, and a useful recommendation for middle-grade readers and up.
Review by Grace Yamada. Editing assistance by Molly Higgins.